Mobile dental services continue for Milpitas seniors

Milpitas City Council voted 4-0 May 6 to approve an ongoing agreement with Dr. Ye-Ming Wu, a dentist who oversees Agape, to continue free monthly dental services outside the Barbara Lee Senior Center.

City reports state Wu and his staff will provide dental examinations, screening, cleaning, x-rays, sealants, fluoride treatment/varnish and oral health education. The agreement allows for Wu and his staff to use city property -- the parking lot of the senior center at 40 N. Milpitas Blvd. -- once a month on the fourth Friday of each month from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. to provide dental services to the Milpitas senior community.

The previous agreement expired May 1. The new amendment extends the agreement to June 30, 2015. In addition, the city's senior center staff will assist with promoting the service and taking appointments.

"It is a needed service in the community for low-income senior residents of Milpitas," said Stephanie Douglas, the city's recreation services supervisor.

She added interested individuals who want dental care can sign up by calling Barbara Lee Senior Center. But Douglas noted the mobile dental bus in which much of the dental work takes place can only accommodate 20 to 25 individuals a month.

"So the sign-up list does fill up quickly," Douglas said. "We do not maintain a waitlist, so once the list is full, individuals must wait until the following month to book their appointment."

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She added there are no direct costs to the city for this service.

"The city offers space in the parking lot for the mobile dental bus and staff provides support with the program by taking reservations. We also provide a room for pre-dental screening," Douglas said, adding the free dental service has been popular among local seniors. "Because it is so popular, we don't aggressively market the program, as word of mouth seems to work well and we book up every month almost immediately."